The Franklin Flyer

Mark Your Calendars:

January 6: PTA - First Pizza Monday *Ordering Window now REOPENED through 1/15 at 11:59 p.m.

January 10: PTA - Book Club Starts

January 14: PTA - 4th & 5th Grade Volleyball Sign-up Closes

January 30: PTA - International Night - 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

January 20: No School

February 6: PTA - PTA Meeting at 7:00 p.m.

February 10: PTA - 4th/5th Volleyball

February 13: Open House - 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

February 13: Valentine's Day Classroom Celebrations

February 14: No School

February 17: No School

February 27: Spring Conferences - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

February 28: PTA - Dance with my VIP

March 24 - 28: Spring Break - No School

April 18: No School

May 26: No School

Absences

Please call in or email absences by 8:45 AM. You can call our student absence line (847) 318-4390 (ext 1) is available 24 hours a day, or email Mrs. Linda Berleth at lberleth@d64.org.

If the absence is illness related, please also make sure to include Franklin's nurse, Mrs. Queta Karstens, at qkarstens@d64.org.

Franklin Office Hours
School office hours are from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

School Hours

School Hours (M, T, Th, F): 8:50 am - 3:30 pm

Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Lunch: 11:35 - 12:30

4th and 5th Grade Lunch: 12:05 - 1:00

Wednesday School Hours: 8:50 am - 2:40 pm

Wednesday Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Lunch: 11:05 - 12:00

Wednesday 4th and 5th Grade Lunch: 11:35 - 12:30

Half-Day Kindergarten Hours

Kindergarten Hours (M, T, Th, F): 8:50 am - 11:35 am

Kindergarten Wednesday: 8:50 am - 11:05 am

Build to Give

Franklin Falcons had the opportunity to participated in Build to Give 2024! "Build to Give" is an annual program that Lego created back in 2017 with their main mission to spread love during the holiday season.

For each heart made of legos and posted to social media, Lego will donate a box of legos to charity. All of our students helped make a heart after discussing how they are able to pay it forward with a simple act of kindness.

25-26 School Year Registration

Hard to believe, but we are preparing for registration for the 25-26 school year. Registration opens on January 21st for all returning students and incoming kindergarteners. Please complete your registration as soon as possible as this impacts sections of grade levels and hiring/assignments for teachers.

Winter Recess Gear

As more consistent winter weather approaches, please ensure your child brings appropriate gear to school each day, including winter boots, a coat, gloves, a hat, and snow pants. We strive to have outdoor recess whenever possible, and students without winter boots will need to stay on the blacktop during recess. Please remember to label all of your child's winter gear with their first and last name. Thank you for helping keep our students warm and prepared for the season!

PowerSchool Parent Portal Password Update

District 64 cares about the security of your student's personal information. Effective December 13th, we will be requiring all parents to create a minimum 12-character password for their PowerSchool Parent Portal account. Strong passwords are of the utmost importance - they protect your electronic accounts and devices from unauthorized access, keeping your sensitive personal information safe. The more complex the password, the more protected your information will be from cyber threats and hackers.

Swim for a Cause!

Band Orchestra Parents Association (BOPA) Fundraiser at Goldfish Swim School

Looking for a fun place to bring your kids on their next day off?

Join us for a Swim to Donate!

BOPA Fundraiser at Goldfish SwimSchool

Monday January 20th

1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Goldfish Swim School

678 N. Northwest Highway, Park Ridge

Registration Fee: $10

(ALL proceeds will go directly to D64 Band and Orchestra Parent Association)

SIGN UP HERE- registration required!

*You MUST register ahead using the link above. Only the first 90 registrants will be admitted.

*Children of all ages must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Registration fees can be paid through Zelle @ bopad64@gmail.com at the time of registration and are non-refundable. Please include Swim to Donate in the memo line when submitting payment and be sure to pay for each individual attending (adult and child). You will receive a confirmation email once your registration and payment have been received.

*Enjoy water play, snacks and giveaways!

Questions? Contact Christine Erickson at BOPAd64@gmail.com

Please send a change of clothes with your children for all K-5 students. It is helpful to have a change of clothes in the event of spilled water, accidents, or an unexpected incidents. Clothes should be labeled with your child's name and can be kept in your child's locker. We encourage you to make sure your child's name is on each article of clothing.

Lunch at Franklin

District 64 partners with Quest Food Management Services to provide a high-quality hot lunch program for grades full-day kindergarten through 8th grade. Students who need to go home for lunch must bring a note from a parent to the homeroom teacher each time this need arises; the parent must pick up the student at the school office. On return, the student and parent must report to the office and sign back in before returning to class.

Peanut/nut-safe lunch tables at the elementary schools are designated for allergic children and their friends who opt to abstain from those products. Arrangements at the middle schools are handled on an individual basis to accommodate student needs. Peanut butter and other peanut products may be consumed freely by non-allergic students in each lunchroom. To promote disease prevention, parents are requested to enclose a hand sanitizer wipe in their child’s lunch or backpack for use before eating.

Information on free lunch/milk waiver is available at the bottom of the Pay Student Fees page.

Parents are discouraged from routinely delivering lunch to the office from local restaurants; lunches brought to the office should be reserved for emergency situations, such as a forgotten lunch. Please refrain from sending or dropping off any soda or energy drinks for your students. Thank you for your cooperation.

When Entering The Building

When a parent or guardian arrives to Franklin with or for a student, dropping off items or for a meeting, when ringing the doorbell, please state your name and your student(s) names to support our safety procedures.

All visitors to Franklin must have a valid state ID or driver’s license. Identification is entered into the Raptor identification system. This process only takes a short time to complete. Once you have clearance, the office staff will print a visitor pass for you and attach it to a lanyard you must wear throughout the building. The office will hold your ID until you return to the office and return the lanyard. We appreciate your support as we proceed with this district-mandated safety procedure for the safety of our students.

Issues with A School Device?

If you have are having issues with your student's device at home, please complete a ticket.

https://d64.incidentiq.com/guest/NPV6SRUK/d64-family-tech-support-ticket#top

Payments to School - My School Bucks

Park Ridge-Niles CCSD 64 employs My School Bucks as its payment platform for families. Most

purchases for students, including field trips and student orders. Directors can be found here.

For the health and safety of our students and community, no pets are allowed on school property. We realize the beautiful weather increases the amount of families who are walking to and from school. However, we ask that you please leave your dog or cat at home. Properly identified service animals are always permitted.

Please take a moment to review the contacts section of your ParentPortal. Any adult who has approval for after school pick-up or emergency pick-up for illness/injury should be listed. Franklin staff will not release students to adults who are not listed on the ParentPortal.

Student-Parent Handbook

Franklin Elementary School and all District 64 schools follow policies and practices reviewed and implemented by the District 64 Board of Education. Please review the D64 Student-Parent Handbook before the start of the school year.

You can find frequent updates or snapshots from our days at Franklin on Facebook and Instagram! Follow us at

Facebook: facebook.com/FranklinD64

Instagram: franklin.d64

LAST CALL: Pizza Block 2 Ordering

Due to many inquiries about missed Block 2 ordering, we are reopening the Pizza Monday Block 2 form for those of you who would like to sign up your child. The ordering window will be extended until Wednesday, January 15th at 11:59 pm on Membership Toolkit. Please note that if you are signing up during this extended period, your child will receive their first pizza lunch on 1/27/25. Remember to pack your child a lunch for Monday, January 13th as they will not receive pizza on this day due to ordering turnaround times. Lastly, if you already ordered pizza for your child/ren, you do not need to sign up again.

International Night is Thursday, January 30th - Sign Ups Now Open

Ciao! Mahalo! Γεια σας! Hola! Bonjour! Hello! Здраво! Witam!

Save the Date for one of Franklin's most beloved events, International Night, on Thursday, January 30th - if you have not been you are in for a treat! Our families join together to celebrate all cultures through dress, music, performances, and activities. This is 100% sponsored by the PTA so we need help from each of you.

Sign ups are open on PTA website / Membership Toolkit for the following opportunities:

• LAST CALL for hosting a country table (sign-ups for the same country will be grouped together)

• If you already signed up, be on the lookout for additional guidance and instructions from the event chairs.

• Reminder that you will be grouped together with those who have signed up for the same country if we have duplicates.

• Performances (dances, songs, demonstrations, etc.) - this is a wonderful aspect of the event and we are in need of performances

• General event support - Short time slots are available and a great option for alum who may need service hours

Everyone is invited to participate including family members and former and future students.

Yearbook On SALE

Get your yearbooks today! Deadline is approaching!

https://web.treering.com/create-account/101411067007226?PassCode=101411067007226

Save the Date for the Winter Dance with My VIP | Friday, February 28th

Franklin is coming down with disco fever this year!

Staff Lunches

The PTA offers teachers and staff members an option to purchase lunch on Mondays from Spuntinos via franklinpta.com. Families are always welcome to show their appreciation for a staff member by purchasing a Monday lunch on their behalf. If this is something your family is interested in doing, please refer to the PTA website for more information.

Questions about teacher and staff lunches can be directed to rebeccavanpoucke@gmail.com.

Missing out on info? We have a FACEBOOK page!

We post reminders, updates, recognition, answer questions &

Help make this community stronger! Join us at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071259407924
Or scan the QR code. MUST BE A PAID PTA MEMBER TO JOIN.

Rainbows for All Children provides peer groups for kids in 1st - 8th grade. These groups provide a safe space for them to share their experiences associated with loss of a loved one and/or a changing family dynamic due to divorce, deployment, etc. Trained facilitators help encourage communication while identifying, navigating and discussing feelings amongst the group. Our next session begins on Tuesday, January 14th, 2025. This free program meets every Tuesday, from 5:30 - 6:30 pm, at the Park Ridge Community Church.

Please use this Google Form link to register your child/children and/or to be added to our communications list. Any general questions or interest in volunteering to become a facilitator, please contact rainbows64@att.net . For more general info please visit https://rainbows.org/

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YWOBWEERhlRwR0oLRee2bU1j89cOg4Qp7jEB0yCnS-E/edit